Ethics

Clarke Wittstruck failed on multiple occasions to maintain, manage, and handle client funds.  Wittstruck neglected client matters and communications, which caused his clients to suffer legal consequences, such as arrest.  He changed the handling of his firm, and in the transition period, operated without support staff and accepted more work than he was able to handle.  Wittstruck has been previously disciplined for other instances.  The State Bar hearing committee suspended Wittstruck’s [...]

James Thompson, III, mishandled client funds and allowed non-attorney staff to prepare documents and write checks for closings, resulting in irregularities which harmed clients.  These irregularities resulted in clients’ failure to collect earnest money deposits, unreasonable closing costs to client, which Thompson could not explain, and inaccurate reflection of ledgers.  He also used trust account funds for personal affairs, but when he realized shortfalls in his trust account, he [...]

Laura Johnson intermingled client funds with personal funds and operating funds within the same trust account.  She also paid fees and payments to the Clerk of Court using funds that had been deposited into the account for other purposes.  Johnson failed to reconcile her trust account, refund clients, and supervise the disbursement of client funds.  She used trust account funds to pay client expenses and personal bills.  After a hearing of the North Carolina State Bar, Johnson’s law [...]

Keith Henry was the staff attorney for Southern Financial Services until 2011.  Henry established a living trust for a South Carolina couple, clients of Southern Financial Services, while he was not licensed to practice law in South Carolina.  Henry continued to provide document review for clients of the company, some of whom who were residents of states in which Henry was not licensed to practice law.  A federal criminal investigation of Southern Financial Services was conducted.  Henry [...]

On January 30, 2015, a hearing was conducted to consider Robert Brown, Jr.’s potential reinstatement to practice law after satisfying all requirements for reinstatement from his five-year suspension entered in 2009.  Brown received psychiatric evaluations from two separate, State Bar-approved psychiatrists, who certified that Brown does not suffer from any conditions that would creation a predisposition for sexual misconduct.  Further, Brown has paid all costs, responded to all [...]

On October 22, 2014, L. Pendleton Hayes filed an affidavit of surrender of license at the North Carolina State Bar. Based upon this affidavit, the Council of the North Carolina State Bar found that Hayes misappropriated in excess of $400,000 of entrusted funds and engaged in fraudulent bank transactions in violation of Rules 8.4(b) and 8.4(c). View the full disciplinary order below. Trouble viewing? Click here to download the order (PDF, [...]

On October 21, 2014, Freddie Lane, Jr. filed an affidavit of surrender of license at the North Carolina State Bar. Based upon this affidavit, the Council of the North Carolina State Bar found that Lane misappropriated at least $500,000 of entrusted funds and failed to file and pay income taxes in violation of Rule 8.4(b) and 8.4(c). View the full disciplinary order below. Trouble viewing? Click here to download the order (PDF, [...]

On July 25, 2014 Donald F. Lively was disbarred by the Council of the North Carolina State Bar. Based on an affidavit of surrender of license executed by Lively, the Council found that he knowingly and intentionally engaged in the unauthorized practice of law in North Carolina for at least two years after being administratively suspended. This included obtaining property under false pretenses by receiving fees or the legal work he performed and falsely representing his suspended status and/or [...]

On April 24, 2014, Scott Leon Ingersoll received a reprimand from the Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar. On and around September 4, 2012, Ingersoll represented a client in a criminal case. Throughout this representation, Ingersoll violated several rules of professional conduct. Specifically, Ingersoll filed a motion to suppress although he had documents in his possession that refuted his affidavit. Ingersoll also submitted an affidavit of time for his representation of the [...]

On April 24, 2014 the Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar issued a reprimand to William A. LeLiever for violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct. First, LeLiever violated Rule 8.4(d) for professional misconduct by (1) failing to timely comply with the Bankruptcy Court’s order and failure to properly appear at compliance hearings which amounted to prejudicial conduct to the administration of justice and (2) failing to acknowledge and comply with his obligation to [...]

On April 24, 2014, the Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar reprimanded Mark S. Jetton, Jr. for violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Jetton violated Rule 7 Information about Legal Services in several different occasions in advertisement and soliciting clients. Specifically, Jetton violated Rule 7.3(c)(1) for having the advertising notice is smaller font than his firm’s name on the letterhead of targeted mail solicitation. He also violated Rule 7.1(a)(1) and (2) for [...]

On January 23, 2014, Christopher D. Lane received a reprimand from the Grievance Committee of the North Carolina State Bar for violates of the Rules of Professional Conduct. In September 2010, Lane entered into an agreement with a California and Illinois law firm, Krohn and Moss, Ltd. (Krohn and Moss), to serve “Of Counsel.” Under this agreement, Krohn and Moss established a continuous presence in North Carolina with Lane’s office as its physical address. None of the attorneys at Krohn [...]

Entered on August 26, 2014, Lori Glenn was suspended for three years with possible stay. From 2009-2012, for residential real estate clients, Glenn failed to timely disburse the title insurance premium shown on the HUD-1 Settlement Statement and failed to submit the final title opinion to obtain the title insurance policy, failed to respond to inquiries from at least one lender concerning an outstanding policy, failed to make various disbursements shown on the applicable HUD-1 Settlement [...]

Entered on August 18, 2014, the North Carolina State Bar suspended Robert E. Griffin from the practice of law for three years. Griffin was suspended for various misappropriations and mishandling of client funds, a failure of diligence in representing his clients, and engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. Griffin received an admonition in 1981, a suspension in 1989, and a reprimand in 2005. In the instances related to this case, Griffin, failed to file a motion for [...]